jeda4137

Missed a proper promenade with seating too much to sail K  again. 

Will only sail on COMPLETELY vaccinated ships!!

Will only sail on completely vaccinated ships.

Even though I am vaccinated and probably should not be at risk of contracting - do not want another disaster with either sick , deaths and all that isolation when different countries would not allow to ship to  dock. 

For those reasons will only sail when proof of vaccination is MANDATORY!!!!

NO EXCEPTIONS!!!

1 hour ago, quack2 said:

They keep pissing me off by getting rid of promenade decks.  Especially to Alaska.

I agree ! Promenade decks are one of the best features of the ship.  Will now only sail on the Vista and not the  Pinnacles. 

4 minutes ago, kb4683 said:

This discussion has piqued my interest in cabins 4041/4042.  Would love to read description and/or see pics of those, too.

A quick glance thru the door of 4042 , showed a more traditional layout with the balcony door on the side instead of the end, but just an extra window on the end. However balcony was large enough for the cabin guys to bring in a couple of lounges in addition to the furniture already  there. Do not have pics of that one. Depending on which direction travelling and weather conditions of course might be very shaded, but very protected from the breezes I think. Good luck!

59 minutes ago, mexico8 said:

I can relate to the "Senior thing" for posting pictures on Cruise critic.   I had the same problem.   What I did for someone was I posted my e-mail address and they sent me an e-mail and I sent them the picture of the cabin.  (The person wanting the picture could also post their e-mail and you could send it to them if you prefer that method).  

 

As a safety measure if you do decide to post your e-mail make sure to put it so that it can't be used badly i.e., put "dot com"   --  I hope this makes sense.

Thanks for the suggestion - but not sure about that  - ( there is that Senior suspicious thing again )

We stayed in K #4044 for a 21 day Carribbean cruise in Mar 2019.  Not quite the same as #4046.  Room lay out for the most part is , but seemed maybe slightly smaller - however you are missing that extra window. If it had the extra window  like #4046 you be looking at #4042 balcony.  # 4042 balcony was huge  So as you walk in the room there is a big blank space where that window would have been so nice. Made the room somewhat dark. We started leaving the TV on to the aft channel and it kind of took away your attention from that big dark space as you entered  the room. Too bad they did not put a big mirror on that space and it would have helped brighten up the room.  The layout put the bed very close to the door. Gave you a nice space between bed and desk  Might hear a few voices go by in the evening, but as not a party ship did not find that to be a big problem- however would hear the breakfast cart rattle by early morning.  Had an irregular shaped deck, kind of almost triangle, but did like it. Sat 4 comfortably - no extra chairs , just used ones from inside.  Sorry , do have pics but have no idea how to post them here. ( It is Senior thing- ha-ha)  Not sure if there is a way you could email private message me and then maybe send them to you. Just not sure would stay in that one again - - however if price and destination were right might consider it - so not all bad for sure. 

Over 70 only for medical certificate???

ALL passengers should have to have medical certificate including children - otherwise discrimination!!

Not only will Doctors be reluctant to sign something like that- if they do there will be a charge for that service.

As we know children can be little germ factories!!

Just much easier to stay on land!!

Forecast for this coming week seems to be in the 70 s and 80 s depending where in Australia one is.

Now as  a Canadian, hardly think that is cool- however it might be for some depending on where one lives.

I know Australia is much warmer at other times of the year.  Just not sure how their "winter season " is.

We were there in Feb and March- nothing cool about it, but of course every year is different!

If medical certificate is needed, when would one get that?? At time of booking or just days prior to boarding ?

Just too many if s, if that is how cruising will be.

Another landlocked tourist I am afraid!! Would never expect my Doc to agree to that .

6 hours ago, Himself said:

I pwrsonaaly think the virus will go into hibernation as the warmer weather comes with spring.  I just hope HAL says something soon!

If warmer weather slows it down, why is Australia and New Zealand suffering right along with other countries?

I find these sea day sales ( mostly junk) very annoying .  Seating around the pool is already at premium on sea days - at least it has been on the ships we have been on and then they remove lounges to display their product.  !!! 

12 hours ago, deck chair said:

To me, the biggest issue with this class ship is the lack of a real promenade deck.  I will give it a pass.

Deck Chair

We agree with that. We need a real promenade!!

Also the very poor entertainment!!

1 hour ago, STANCPA44 said:

Last January, I was in cabin 4043, I did not hear any creaking sounds.

Cabin 4044 last March/ April had strange noises!

On ‎10‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 9:36 AM, bamelin said:

On the Konsingdam and Nieuw Statendam there are 2 staterooms Cat VH on deck 4 forward (on either side of the ship) that have a "sideways" balcony.   The staterooms are life boat obstructed but apparently the size of these balconies are huge --- equivalent to a suite.  The door the balcony is on the side of the cabin rather than being at the back and where the balcony would be on a normal stateroom is a big oceanview style window.

 

Anyone have pictures of these rooms or stayed in them?  My parents are booked in 4042 on Nieuw Statendam (https://www.icruise.com/deckplans/holland-america-line-cruises-nieuw-statendam-deckplans-beethoven-deck.html#bootstrapContainer).  I've been looking on line but haven't had much luck finding pictures.

 

 

4042 has the extra full length window and the balcony door as well.  We were in 4044 . Kind of dark and dreary room as large portion of our wall was adjacent to balcony  4042, so no window there only blank wall to look at as you entered. Patio door was further down and chesterfield was tucked into little alcove along side patio door. Nice space between desk and bed, but other than that no so good.  They could brighten the room up with a large mirror on that big blank wall.  We would leave the TV on tuned to the aft channel, so when entering the room it looked like a picture and kind of took your eyes of the big blank wall next to it.  Balcony was a bit bigger . Could fit 4 on it. 4042 had nicer - bigger balcony. 4042 had pretty much the traditional lay out, other than the extra window and patio door on the side, where as 4044 was sideways, so bed was only 30 inches from hallway.

This was on the Koningsdam , so not a real party ship so evenings hallway was not too noisy- however could hear breakfast carts in the morning rattling by.  As we were on B/B- the last night of the first half of cruise was very noisy picking up luggage. 4046 also had extra window and very long balcony. Much brighter room than 4044, but same layout being sideways and bed close to hallway.

About 3/4 years ago while getting off ship met another couple from New Zealand who had the same questions as we did.  How to get there using the Metro. We spotted a whole line of taxis just waiting for trips. We decided to share a taxi and it was $20.00 U.S. for one way and the same on the way back. Splitting the fare made for a very reasonable trip and met some very nice people. Great day. !  First Taxi tried to convince us to keep him for the whole day and do more touring.  As we and the other couple had been to this port before and only was now interested in the Acropolis we declined.  It would have been $100.00 US for each couple, still not outrageous but  had  already seen the attractions he wanted to take us to on previous trip.

On ‎5‎/‎22‎/‎2019 at 8:06 AM, GlennG said:

My wife and I traveled on the Koningsdam in January for 21 days.  We felt that the ship was crowded, cluttered, and congested; - particularly on the Lido Deck.  The Lido Market on sea days was really crowded, and the swimming pools have to accommodate many more people than the similar sized pools on the older ships.  Compared to the Vista Class ships, we felt a little uncomfortable on the Koningsdam.

 

We also found our balcony room to be smaller than corresponding rooms on Vista Class ships.

 

Then there is the congested and narrow promanade on Deck 3.  Space doesn't permit me to express our disappointment with Deck 3 of the Koningsdam.

  Yes- we agree with above comments.  Promenade on K terrible

3 hours ago, Mandalay1903 said:

The Koningsdam is beautiful--Music Walk is great with the shared, larger venue for BB King and Lincoln Center.  The biggest problem (IMO) is that with this new Pinnacle Class ship they've added about 500 guests onto a ship with public spaces about the same size as the Eurodam. Therefore, everything is much more crowded--especially the World Stage, Music Walk, and the Casino. Plan to arrive at least 1/2 hour early to get a seat in the World Stage for a popular performance (e.g. dance company or America's Test Kitchen). Also, the Casino allows smoking so if you're a non-smoker... The third problem is that the Promenade Deck outside walkway is quite narrow and has mostly obstructed views--in some places it's single file. This is because of the odd way that the tenders have been mounted.  Overall, the Koningsdam is a great ship and I wouldn't avoid it--just go in knowing some of these issues.

59 minutes ago, suzannecruisecritic said:

Thank you so much for your recommendations. I really appreciate your taking the time to share your experiences me. We've never tried Canaletto but are going to check it out. We're looking forward to the music walk area which sounds really appealing and will stay away from the smokey casino.

3 hours ago, Mandalay1903 said:

The Koningsdam is beautiful--Music Walk is great with the shared, larger venue for BB King and Lincoln Center.  The biggest problem (IMO) is that with this new Pinnacle Class ship they've added about 500 guests onto a ship with public spaces about the same size as the Eurodam. Therefore, everything is much more crowded--especially the World Stage, Music Walk, and the Casino. Plan to arrive at least 1/2 hour early to get a seat in the World Stage for a popular performance (e.g. dance company or America's Test Kitchen). Also, the Casino allows smoking so if you're a non-smoker... The third problem is that the Promenade Deck outside walkway is quite narrow and has mostly obstructed views--in some places it's single file. This is because of the odd way that the tenders have been mounted.  Overall, the Koningsdam is a great ship and I wouldn't avoid it--just go in knowing some of these issues.

Agree with all of the above.  Too many guests for the public spaces.  The Lido and MDR are so busy. The promenade is very disappointing.  Seems to be a bit less  staff , therefore especially breakfast was challenging to say the least.  Food was very good.  Think we would go back to Vista Class

Don t know about US credit Cards , but most Canadian C/C ( Visa - M/C ) will not cover anyone over 65.  Don t know about AMEX  Even under 65 from what I have heard is never depend on Credit Card .  Before they even pay a claim , they will raise your C/C limit and put claim on your card while they investigate the claim.  You would probably be responsible for the interest and hope and pray claim would be paid.  No idea what their limit is, but suspect it would probably be low.  Don t know if it would cover Medivac ( air ambulance), if unable to fly regular air. Have no idea about pre existing. conditions with C/C .  When buying Travel Medical Insurance any reputable company spells out all the pre existing and better read their interpretation of pre existing. Might be different from yours.

Seems like every Company thinks differently,

8 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

Yeah, 4044 is the same layout as 4043 on the other side of the ship. They can't have a window because it would look out onto the balcony of 4041/4042 (which have a standard layout except there is a window where the balcony would be and the balcony is on the side, in front of where the bed sits in 4043/4044).

 

4045/4046 are the alternate layouts with a double wide balcony. I will admit that when I originally booked the cabin, I thought that 4043 also had a double wide cabin, before finally realizing that half of it belonged to 4041.

 

We did enjoy the deeper balcony that belonged to #4044, but not as long as other 2.  .  We made the same mistake thinking we had a huge balcony. They need to hang a big mirror or picture on that big blank wall next to the TV. that hits you when entering.

we started leaving our TV on to AFT channel nice music playing and looked like a picture when entering the room. Took your eyes off the wall. That wall  even made ceiling feel lower and I am short person. Almost like inside cabin - however never have booked one of those, because too dark for me. Found bed too be close to the door (31/2 Ft) and could hear some noises at times, even breakfast carts it the morning.

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

The TV creaks so I wedged a towel between the tv and the wall. Of course make sure the doors are all closed. I had the fridge cleared and only had my water bottle. The umbrella, of all things, was making a noise against something in the closet, I stashed it under the bed. 

 

The towel trick makes sense, but never thought of it.  One rough night it came right out from the wall as it was on a swivel .

3 hours ago, jeda4137 said:

We had creaking in #4042 , another sideways room.. We found that room to be very dark.!

 

Correction !  We were in cabin #4044 not #4042. #4044 or #4046 would have been better choices  than #4042

1 hour ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

You probably didn't leave the bathroom light on at night. I like to leave it on and leave the door open a crack so I can find my way there at night. My point was that in a normal room, the bathroom is in the hallway (can't think of a better term) to the cabin door so you don't see it from the bed (at least not right across from it).

We always carry our own night lights , so no problem at night.

Found the room dark and dreary when we walked in during the day.  #4042 and  #4046 had an extra window along with patio doors, but # 4044 did not only patio door at the end of room.

4 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

We sailed on Koningsdam last year and I heard some creaking at night in the wall near my side of the bed. We were in cabin 4043, which is one of the sideways oriented cabins and the bed was against the wall with cabin 4041 (I was in the top right corner of the cabin when looking at the attached deck plan). I just read a review from someone who was on board this March and he complained about creaking in cabin 4057 which is a normally oriented cabin (his review is titled "Room 4057 - The Creaking Room").

 

I recently booked another cruise on Koningsdam so I'm wondering how prevalent this problem is and whether I'll run into it again. I booked a VF guarantee this time so I won't be in VH (both 4043 and 4057 are VH) and won't be in that immediate area. Is this only a problem on cabins in that area of deck 4, or is it a problem on other decks as well? I could potentially end up on deck 4 again since there are also VB and VF cabins there (but at the front and aft of the ship).

 

I also wonder how aware HAL is of this situation and whether it's a problem on Nieuw Statendam as well.

 

 

We had creaking in #4042 , another sideways room.. We found that room to be very dark.!

Will be on HaL K Mar 17.

We know we are allowed to have 2 bottles of wine in our carry on luggage.

Can we take on anymore and just pay the $18.00 corkage fee and keep the wine or even take it to MDR if we have paid the corkage ? if that is allowed , would there be extra gratuity on that or would the $18.00 cover everything?

Have seen some comments on other sites where it would be confiscated and returned at the end of cruise.

Really don t want to have to fly home with 2 bottles of wine. Luggage heavy enough as it is. 

Has anyone found Lactose Free milk or even yogurt on the Koningsdam?

Had the Lactose Free milk on the Zuiderdam a couple of years ago and sometimes in small containers, so could just take leftovers to cabin fridge which was nice, but no Lactose Free yogurt. Other times just poured out a glass full - not as handy, but still worked.